With 2022 just past its halfway point, we’re taking a look at some of our favourite albums released over the past six months. 2022 has started off with plenty of quality releases that are sure to remain on repeat as we head into the second half of the year.
With the year already off to a red hot start, suffice to say it has been a very difficult list to put together – for every record we included, handfuls we loved didn’t make the cut. But nonetheless, our list has arrived. Read through to see what our editorial team and contributors have been vibing on so far this year.
20. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There
For a band that has only been together since 2018, releasing their debut LP in 2021, Black Country, New Road perhaps makes one of the strongest cases for themselves as the foremost rock band of this generation. Ants From Up There is nothing less than a labyrinthine process of emotional maturation, both as young peoples and as a band navigating the interpersonal processes that come with losing their lead singer and lyricist. Ants From Up There teeters on the edge of emotional despair, yet maintains an effortlessly youthful joviality and worldview that few bands can so easily tap into and convert into such a cohesive finality. – Hamza Ali
19. Alexisonfire – Otherness
Good things really do come to those who wait, with the fifth studio album from these post-hardcore icons hitting all the right spots. AOF have ventured out of their comfort zone for this release with as much fervour and finesse as always, while keeping relevant and relatable. – Dylan Oxley
18. Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch
AURORA’s 2022 album The Gods We Can Touch builds upon her existing sound to great effect. The album is as ethereal and otherworldly as you’d expect from the Norwegian artist; but you can also hear her experimenting with genre a bit more. All in all, an empowering, and immensely enjoyable release. – Simon Clark
17. The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention
Who needs a new Radiohead album when Thom and Johnny get itchy and make a record with jazz drummer Tom Skinner? One of the best projects to come out of lockdown. – Julian Ramundi
16. Johnny Hunter – Want
For a first up album, Want is everything Johnny Hunter could have hoped to achieve when they started out as a band. There’s a sense of nostalgia and strength in their songs that bodes well for their ability to connect with listeners beyond a traditional rock scene.
Read our review HERE.
15. Darren Hanlon – Life Tax
Having followed Darren Hanlon intently for near enough to 15 years now, it’s reaffirming and satisfying knowing that he’s managed to have his trademark brilliance come through once more with Life Tax. Sure to be a hit when he ventures out on the road sometime this year, make sure you get around Life Tax and Darren Hanlon, we need more storytellers like him.
Read our review HERE.
14. Yard Act – The Overload
Yard Act has managed to find their own little weird niche in the British scene, with lyrics speak-sung for the most part, and a mixture of traditional rock matched with an at times chaotic and dry delivery.
Incredibly well weighted, The Overload has hits strewn through it, including stand outs “Tall Poppies” and my personal favourite “Pour Another”, the latter of which has a Blur “Boys & Girls” vibe written all over it. Filled with classic indie guitar and organ/ synths, plus a chorus that will result in more than a few dance floors or sweaty pubs to be filled with joy and pure ecstasy from punters, “Pour Another” is The Overload at its best.
Read our review HERE.
13. Harry Styles – Harry’s House
The One Directioner had already proved he was no flash in the pan with his sophomore effort Fine Line, but the Brit pop sensibilities of Harry’s House and its encompassing of city-pop (the wildly catchy “Music for a Sushi Restaurant”), synth (cruisy jump-off single “As It Was” and glossy R&B (“Late Night Talking”) more than certify his musical credentials beyond being just a former boy band player. – Peter Gray
12. Sharon Van Etten – We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
Sharon Van Etten is at her magnificent best on We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong. It’s another stunning vocal performance from the New Jersey singer-songwriter; and the song craft is there to match — relatable and devastating. – Simon Clark
11. Angel Olsen – Big Time
Angel Olsen has embraced her inner Country singer on her sixth album Big Time; and the results are utterly wonderful. It’s an album steeped in classic country — heartbreak and all — but delivered in Olsen’s inimitable unflinching and direct style. Come for the beautiful vocals, stunning instrumentation and stay for the heartbreak and whisky. – Simon Clark
10. Saviour – Shine & Fade
The spellbinding albeit short fifth album from the Perth metalcore quintet is passionate, technical and heavy. With the addition of intricate guitarist Curtis and singing from bassist Chris, Saviour have delivered some of their most compelling work yet. – Dylan Oxley
9. The Weeknd – Dawn FM
The Weeknd has really reinvented himself and managed to put out a deeply sophisticated and elegant collection of songs blending his smooth-crooning R&B with Depeche Mode-inspired vintage grooves. A fantastic listen from front-to-back. – Chris Singh
8. Annie Hamilton – the future is here but it feels kinda like the past
Multi-talented to a fault, Annie Hamilton evokes levels of mystery and magic in her music, bouncing in and out of this realm and lifting the listener to a level of weightlessness, with each of the eleven songs on the album continually delivering from opening note to closing sentiment. I’m not sure if the future will feel like the past, but what I am sure of is that the future is here but it feels kinda like the past will be one of Australia’s best debut albums of the year (if it isn’t already).
Read our review HERE.
7. Thornhill – Heroine
It’s clear that Thornhill have their sights set on bigger and better things as they evolve with each release. The sophomore record from the Melbourne hardcore five-piece is as experimental and theatrical as it is seductive and clever. – Dylan Oxley
6. Wet Leg – Wet Leg
One of the biggest takeaways from the album is the willingness of the band (fronted equally by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers) to be just a little bit silly and woozy, all the while catching the listener unaware of how they’ve just pulled you in and trapped you into another three minutes of effortlessly flawless guitar pop. In spite of all the buzz and hype, you may as well call Wet Leg Australia Post, because they’ve well and truly delivered here with their debut album.
Read our review HERE.
5. Foals – Life Is Yours
The progression and willingness of the band to release a dance-heavy album showcases their self-confidence and strength in a studio space. With a plethora of international and domestic tours already booked in, 2022 and 2023 shapes up to be a defining time for the band; you’d be a fool to not jump on the bandwagon.
Read our review HERE.
4. Kendrick Lamar – Mr Morale & The Big Steppers
Wow. To think Kendrick would be able to release something on par with ‘Damn’, everyone thought that it was his pinnacle and yet, here, on Mr Morale and The Big Steppers we see a more mature Kendrick. Not only does the album incite emotion in the listener, but it gives us a real look into the mind of the artist. Kendrick not only faces his own traumas, helps paint an image of the enlightened artist who seeks to help all. The album is a treat and “Auntie Diaries” is a memorable standout that epitomises these feelings. – Dan Hanssen
3. Camp Cope – Running With The Hurricane
Running with the Hurricane is an evolved jump away from their previous releases. The album has a more pop-centric sound, all the while still managing to not lose the essence of what has made Camp Cope become so notable to so many. Gone is the anger that filled their earlier works and in its place is a determination to grow as people and as a band; something that suits Camp Cope incredibly well.
Read our review HERE.
2. Vince Staples – Ramona Park broke My Heart
You’d be forgiven for counting Vince Staples out these past few years. Not that the man has ever released a bad album, but because his output hasn’t been quite as prolific as it once was. Ramona Park Broke My Heart changes all that, giving us Vince at his very finest over some of the most lush production he has rhymed over to date. – Chris Singh
The undisputed underdog of rap puts his strengths together for an album of west coast rap mixed with biting social commentary and his trademark dark humour. – Julian Ramundi
1. Ball Park Music – Weirder & Weirder
Even after so many albums, Ball Park Music never cease to find a new way to put a twist on their same classic sound. This most recent release, Weirder and Weirder proved that again. The album is fantastic, displaying a new mature edge to the band’s somewhat whimsical flavour. The title track, ‘Weirder and Weirder’ was the true highlight of the album and by far a favourite of mine so far this year. Here’s to many more! – Dan Hanssen
Weirder & Weirder shows the band evolving and growing up once more, just as they have on every album they’ve released prior. With hints of their best sprinkled throughout all twelve songs of the album, there appears a renewed sense of adventure, joyousness, reflection and awareness on Weirder & Weirder; which honestly isn’t all that hard to do for a band that has always been more than handy at creating sing-a-longs and classics in waiting. The album is Ball Park Music making sense of everything in a time where not a lot is making sense.
Read our review HERE.
Unless specified otherwise, all contributions provided by Dylan Marshall.
